Brede Hangeland salutes Tottenham's Mousa Dembele

Former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland has told London publication Get West London that current Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele was the best player he ever played with.

The retired Norway international was invited back to Craven Cottage for Fulham’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend and was asked to name his best Fulham XI during his time at the club.

The Cottagers reached the Europa League final during Hangeland’s six-year stint at the club, so his XI was largely based on that team in 2010, with the likes of Mark Schwarzer, Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and Danny Murphy.

But one player who was not at the club during that 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in Hamburg was Spurs ace Mousa Dembele, with the Belgian international joining the club a few months later.

Still, he made quite an impression in West London under then-boss Martin Jol, and Hangeland cites him as the best player he ever played with as he makes his best XI alongside Murphy in midfield.

"I'll go with Danny Murphy and one of the few players who will get a spot and wasn't in the European team is Mousa Dembele, because he's just the best player I've played with and was fantastic,” Hangeland told Get West London.

Dembele, 30, made 62 Premier League appearances for Fulham before moving to Tottenham in the summer of 2012.

The Belgium international has since established himself as a key player in North London, representing Spurs more than 200 times in all competitions, including 17 appearances so far this term despite a spell out with injury.

Dembele has surprisingly yet to win a trophy in English football, but under boss Mauricio Pochettino there is a feeling that Spurs are edging closer to silverware with the FA Cup an obvious candidate.

A big, powerful and technically gifted midfielder, Hangeland’s former teammate has also represented Belgium 70 times and will no doubt play a part in their World Cup campaign this summer.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 27 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.